Padded socks

ABSTRACT

A comfort article that resembles a sock and can be worn over a foot for enhanced comfort and preventing foot sores. The comfort article includes a sleeve, a heel cushion pad, and a toe cushion pad. The sleeve, the heel cushion pad, and the toe cushion pad are integral to each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from a U.S. Provisional Patent Appl. No. 63/295,888 filed on Jan. 2, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to socks, and more particularly, the present invention relates to padded socks.

BACKGROUND

Socks are very common and protect the foot. Socks are generally worn with footwear such as shoes. The socks provide for the wicking of sweat and cushioning to the foot. The socks also make wearing the shoes more comfortable. The socks are made from a wicking material, such as cotton mixed with elastic material, such as elastane. Besides the normal wear socks, specialized socks are also available, such as compression socks, orthopedic socks, and socks for athletes.

Cushioning provided by the socks and the footwear is often insufficient and people may feel pain in the heels and toes after a walk or standing for a long duration. For many people, the pain experienced is often significant, and may sometimes become unbearable. For such cases, cushioning heel pads made from silicon are available that can be worn with the footwear for added cushioning. Such cushioning pads provide comfort, however, an additional accessory is cumbersome and costly.

A need is therefore appreciated for a novel comfort article that provides the functionality of both the socks and heel cushion pads, and at the same time can be cost-effective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present invention to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments and is intended to neither identify critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The principal object of the present invention is therefore directed to a comfort article for the foot that includes integrated socks and cushioning pads.

It is another object of the present invention that the cushion pad can be for heel and toe.

It is an object of the present invention that the comfort article provides significant cushioning to the heels and toe.

It is still another object of the present invention that the comfort article is economical to manufacture.

It is a further object of the present invention that foot sore due to shoes and walking in the shoes can be prevented.

It is still a further object of the present invention that the comfort article can be washed.

It is yet a further object of the present invention that added functionality of athletic socks or compression socks or orthopedic socks can be incorporated.

It is an additional object of the present invention that the comfort article can be used as orthopedic socks.

In one aspect, disclosed is a comfort article comprising a sleeve configured to be worn over a foot; a toe cushion pad; and a heel cushion pad. The toe cushion pad and the heel cushion pad are made from memory foam or a gel material.

In one aspect, disclosed is a method for providing comfort to a foot, the method comprises providing a comfort article comprising a sleeve configured to be worn over a foot, a toe cushion pad, and a heel cushion pad. The method further compromises wearing the comfort article over the foot, wherein the toe cushion pad is positioned below a toe of the foot and the heel cushion pad is positioned below a heel of the foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further explain the principles of the present invention and enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the comfort article, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cutout view of the comfort article showing the toe pad, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is another perspective view showing the heel pad and toe pad, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as apparatus and methods of use thereof. The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the present invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

The terminology used herein is to describe particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting to embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The following detailed description includes the best currently contemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely to illustrate the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention will be best defined by the allowed claims of any resulting patent.

The following detailed description is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific details may be outlined in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject innovation. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and apparatus are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the subject innovation. Moreover, the drawings may not be to scale.

Disclosed is a comfort article that can be worn over a foot like a sock for comfort and protection of the foot. The disclosed comfort article provides significant cushioning to the toe and the heel. The disclosed comfort article can be used with other footwear such as shoes. People feeling sore feet after wearing the shoe and walking around can use the disclosed comfort article to prevent pain and sore foot.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3 which show an exemplary embodiment of the comfort article according to the present invention. The disclosed comfort article can resemble a sock that can be worn over a foot. The disclosed comfort article 100 can include a sleeve 110, a heel pad 120, and a toe pad 130. The heel pad and the toe pad can have cushion pads for providing comfort to the heels and toes respectively.

The cushion pads can be made from memory foam, normal foam, or gel. Gel pads can be made from silicone. Memory foam can be used for better comfort.

The sleeve can be made from materials commonly used to make socks. The sleeve allows the disclosed comfort article to be comfortably worn and secured to the foot. For example, the sleeve can be made from cotton, polyester, and the like. Elastane and elastic materials can be integrated for stretching. The sleeve can also be made similar to athletics socks, compression socks, orthopedic socks, and the like. For example, different materials, such as Lycra, Spandex, Cotton, and Microfiber can be combined for desired elasticity and compression.

The cushioning pads can be integral to the sleeves. For example, the cushioning pads can be coupled by lamination, bonding using adhesive, sewing, and the like methods.

The disclosed comfort article can cover at least the foot of the user i.e., extends from the toe up to the ankle. The disclosed comfort article may or may not cover the instep of the foot. FIGS. 1-3 show the comfort article extending up to a leg, similar to full-size socks.

The disclosed comfort article can include a toe portion, an arch portion, a heel portion, and a leg portion. The toe portion and the heel portion can include the cushioning pads while the arch portion and the leg portion can form the sleeve. The toe portion and the heel portion can be the same or different than the arch portion and the leg portion. The arch portion and the leg portion are shown by shading in the drawings. In one implementation, the arch portion and the leg portion can be different from the toe portion and the heel portion. For example, the toe portion and the heel portion can be non-stretchable while the arch portion and the leg portion can be stretchable. The arch portion and the leg portion and the toe portion and the heel portion can be integral to each other. The toe portion and the heel portion can include a support sleeve to which the cushion pads can be coupled. FIG. 2 shows a cutout view in which part of the toe portion of the comfort article is removed. The support sleeve 132 can provide desired positioning and stability for pad 134.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A comfort article comprising: a sleeve configured to be worn over a foot; a toe cushion pad; and a heel cushion pad.
 2. The comfort article according to claim 1, wherein the toe cushion pad and the heel cushion pad are made from memory foam.
 3. The comfort article according to claim 1, wherein the toe cushion pad and the heel cushion pad are made from gel material.
 4. A method for providing comfort to a foot, the method comprises: providing a comfort article comprising: a sleeve configured to be worn over a foot, a toe cushion pad, and a heel cushion pad; and wearing the comfort article over the foot, wherein the toe cushion pad is positioned below a toe of the foot and the heel cushion pad is positioned below a heel of the foot.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the toe cushion pad and the heel cushion pad are made from memory foam.
 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the toe cushion pad and the heel cushion pad are made from a gel material. 